The United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly backed a resolution encouraging the use of a new world map that more accurately represents the size of Africa and other continents, following a campaign led by African nations and advocacy groups.

The resolution, introduced by Togo on behalf of the African Group and supported by the African Union, was adopted on Friday by 164 votes to one, with six countries abstaining. The United States was the only country to vote against it.

The measure promotes the use of equal-area projections such as the Equal Earth map, which more accurately reflects the relative sizes of landmasses, in contrast to the traditional Mercator projection, which distorts sizes by enlarging regions near the poles and shrinking those near the equator.

"Maps shape our understanding of the world. They guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions," Togo's Foreign Minister Robert Dussey said ahead of the vote. "A fair world begins with a fair map."

Dussey said Togo aims to replace the maps used in its schools by the end of the year. "Togo will be the first country to change our own geography books," he said, adding that the use of the Mercator projection is a result of colonization. "The world is changing. Africa also is changing."

France, which co-sponsored the resolution, announced it would also abandon the Mercator projection. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on X after the vote: "Changing the map obviously doesn't change the world. But correcting a representation that distorts it is already an act of truth."

The resolution is not legally binding and "in no way challenges the use of Mercator projection for maritime and aerial navigation, for which it remains fully suited," according to a statement from the Togolese ministry.

Background

The Mercator projection, created in 1569 by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator, was designed primarily for navigation, preserving angles and rendering latitude and longitude as straight lines. However, it distorts the relative size of landmasses, making regions near the poles appear significantly larger than they are. For instance, Greenland appears roughly the same size as Africa, though Africa is about 14 times larger.

"If you're using the Mercator map as a world map, say, in the classroom, students would just have a completely warped view of the size of countries in the world," Tom Patterson, a former senior cartographer at the U.S. National Park Service who developed the Equal Earth projection in 2018 with colleagues, told NPR last year.

The Equal Earth projection, a pseudocylindrical projection created in 2018, aims to provide a more accurate depiction of the relative sizes of different areas.

Reactions

The United States was the only country to vote against the resolution. Yaryna Ferencevych, deputy U.S. representative to the U.N. Economic and Social Council, said in a statement that the resolution promoted an "ideological agenda" and distracted from more pressing issues. "Instead of focusing on genuine problems... this body is debating map projects from the 16th century and their role in promoting reparations and cognitive justice," she said ahead of the vote.

The six countries that abstained were Serbia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova and Ukraine.

The African Union said in a statement on X: "Today's resolution promotes equal-area maps like Equal Earth across classrooms, media, and international institutions, ensuring the world map finally reflects Africa's true scale, weight, and place in the world."

Online campaign group #CorrectTheMap said: "You could fit the United States, China, India, Japan, Mexico and much of Europe into Africa and still have land to spare."

Carlos Lopes, a professor at the University of Cape Town, posted on X after the vote: "164 votes in favour! This is an emotional day for me."

Togo will press other governments, schools, international organisations and technology companies to move away from the Mercator projection, and plans to meet African Union member states and supporters from other regions within the next six months to agree on how to promote wider adoption.

Mark Monmonier, a Syracuse University professor of geography, said the Mercator map is only useful for navigation, and "Outside of that very narrow navigation application, there is no point in using it."

Africa No Filter, one of the lead campaigners for the adoption of the new map, said: "We want to see accurate maps in schools, textbooks, newsrooms, businesses and on the digital platforms billions of people use every day."